PWYP MENA MEL Consultant

Consultant should report to Middle East and North Africa Regional Coordinator

Consultant may be asked to travel to project countries when required, conduct training at mid-term project review meeting

Consultancy objectives:

• PWYP requires a MEL professional fluent in Arabic and English to enhance the monitoring, evaluation of, and learning from the project. PWYP is hiring the consultant in order to support
• the project team and project partners in Iraq and Lebanon to develop and implement a comprehensive MEL framework for the project.

The consultant will deliver the following:

• The consultant should ensure that PWYP’s project planning and MEL frameworks articulate how the project implementers are achieving the outcomes as well as the clear objectives of the activities, so that this will make MEL possible.
• Work with partners to measure progress using the appropriate project indicators and to anticipate which data will need to be collected to understand and evidence progress and contribution.
• Review the developed MEL frameworks for Iraq and Lebanon, with reference to the NORAD results framework and PWYP Vision 2025.
• Ensure the sound implementation of the country-MEL frameworks and the overall project framework, and coordinate with Kenya MEL consultant and PWYP MEL coordinator.
• Design and collect baseline data related to both Lebanon and Iraq projects and ensure the collection of subsequent data at the end of the project.
• Support country project managers to implement their own country MEL frameworks and contribute to addressing and building their capacity gaps through training or other interventions.
• Ensure that evidence is gathered in real-time to demonstrate whether key planned activities were effective and whether they achieved their impact.
• Lead in the design and delivery of mid-project learning reviews so that key learnings are reported and reflected upon and incorporated into strategic and tactical decision-making
• Enable outcome harvests and the collection of stories of change from the project as appropriate.
• Commission or conduct as necessary an evaluation of the project for accountability, sustainability and learning purposes. Contribute to PWYP International’s ongoing learning.

Proposed methodology:

The consultant is expected to work closely and collaboratively with the PWYP Project Manager and with the national project teams throughout the period of implementation, agreeing approaches, providing expert guidance and support both in person and remotely. The consultant may be required to travel and is expected to be regularly in touch with project teams to follow up and support the best practice of the project MEL. The consultant will review project documents including; outline of the project, theory of change, project proposal narrative, results management framework, country MEL frameworks, and feed into the overall framework. In addition, ​the consultant will accompany the project partners to monitor their work and learn and adapt throughout the project implementation, as well as support capacity building.

Expected Outcomes:

• A clear and updated overall project MEL framework and MEL frameworks for each of the contributing countries
• Baseline data and monitoring data is collected. Logframe data required by donors is collected
• Implementing staff have the capacity to participate in/implement MEL
• Documented learning reviews and recommendations and subsequent changes in
• tactics/strategy/implementation
• Periodic outcome harvests detailing outcomes, contribution, evidence, as appropriate
• Stories of change from the project
• Project evaluation
• Clearly articulated learnings about the approaches taken in the project both for
• contributing countries and PWYP International. Evidence of cross-learning.

Experience and skills required Essential:

• A highly proactive MEL professional with a minimum of 5 years of previous professional experience in leading MEL for complex projects, preferably involving evaluating advocacy
• Fluency in English and Arabic
• Strong qualitative and quantitative skills, including understanding the value of anecdotal data and
• stories of change
• Knowledge of the particular demands and challenges in conducting MEL for advocacy
• Experience of building capacity of non-experts to implement effective M&E and Learning
• Experience of working collaboratively and productively with diverse stakeholders
• Excellent writing, interpersonal, communication skills
• Effective time and p​roject management ability

Preferred:

• Experience of working with civil society activists, experience of networks/coalitions
• Experience in (or knowledge of) advocacy evaluation methods including outcome harvesting,
• contribution analysis, and other qualitative methods
• Experience and understanding of advocacy/campaigning and the extractives transparency movement
• Experience in running after-action and learning reviews